Ohio can't cry in its beer (Akron Beacon Journal, April 11, 2009) The beer industry directly and indirectly contributes $7.7 billion a year to the Ohio economy, according to an updated study released this week by the Beer Institute and National Beer Wholesalers Association.

Big Ohio cities outline plans for roadwork (Dayton Daily News, April 8, 2009)  The Ohio Department of Transportation is taking advantage of federal transportation and stimulus money to improve Ohio's highways. The department plans to spend a record $1.9 billion on highway projects this year. Those projects include $287 million of work on Interstate 75 in the Dayton area.

Mixed reviews for Ohio's new energy law (Forbes.com, April 9, 2009) A new energy law designed to avert large price spikes is getting mixed reviews from Ohio's consumer advocate and regulators as new utility rates take effect.

Amid job losses, Ohio grows more productive (The Plain Dealer, April 11, 2009) Here's what may seem a cheery piece of news about Ohio's work force: Using data from the federal government, state analysts figured that manufacturers here produced goods worth almost 11 percent more, in constant dollars, in 2005 than they did just four years earlier. That shows productivity is on the rise.

Grants encourage collaboration among Northeast Ohio Cities (Hudson Times, April 12, 2009) Under a new program of the Fund for Our Economic Future, local governments in the region are encouraged to submit government collaboration and efficiency proposals, which will provide a total of $300,000 to as many as three projects.

NW Ohio gets $3M to tout environmental, energy careers (Toledo Blade, April 11, 2009) More than $3 million will be invested in northwest Ohio to entice students to study renewable energy and sustainable environment technologies.

Editorial: Jobs, not down payments (Toledo Blade, April 11, 2009) Encouraging young Ohioans to live and work in the state of their birth is a worthy goal but providing taxpayer-funded grants for down payments on homes as a lure is bad public policy that fails to address the single greatest reason recent college graduates choose to start their careers elsewhere: There aren't enough good-paying jobs in Ohio.

Medical Mart project is slowly taking shape; some questions answered (The Plain Dealer, April 12, 2009) There are still a lot of questions without answers. But last week, Cuyahoga County taxpayers began to see the outlines -- and costs -- of what it will take to build a medical mart and convention center in Cleveland.

Ohio trails Midwest states in wind power (Dayton Business Journal, April 13, 2009) A pair of Midwestern states are among the nation's top five in capacity to generate electricity from the wind, according to an annual examination of power initiatives by the American Wind Energy Association.

$57M in Ohio stimulus goes to studies (Lancaster Eagles Gazette, April 13, 2009) Ohio wants to spend $57 million in federal stimulus money on highway projects that won't begin for years, an unusual strategy for money that President Barack Obama said should be used to give the economy an immediate job-creating jolt.

A Decade of Growth: Salaries grow along with staff size at Ohio State (Columbus Dispatch, April 12, 2009) The university's drive to attract and keep stars has fueled pay increases. University leaders say the public is getting a good deal: a homegrown galaxy that will drive research, create jobs and draw industry to the state.

Stimulus decisions jilt some counties (Dayton Daily News, April 12, 2009) Every Ohio county except one - Noble, in southeast Ohio - got a piece of the stimulus money, if you include rural transit funds. But much of the rural transit stockpile went for minivans and maintenance, not the shovel-ready road and bridge rehab projects that create large numbers of jobs.

Editorial: Distinction by Strickland (Akron Beacon Journal, April 12, 2009) Ted Strickland authorized Ohio Lottery keno games for bars and restaurants last year, and thereby added grease to gambling fires that needed no stoking in the state. Gambling interests are no slouches in their efforts to put a slot machine within reach of every arm. It is gratifying that the governor is pedaling back, expressing his objections to proposals that could open up thousands more venues in the state to gambling.

Ohio's options include slots and tax increases (Youngstown Vindicator, April 12, 2009) The abysmal state of Ohio's revenue forecast has a pair of competing factions offering Gov. Ted Strickland new arguments for two old money-making ideas.

Funding uncertainty snares local schools (Cincinnati Enquirer, April 12, 2009) In February, Gov. Ted Strickland's deputies began spreading the word that Cincinnati Public Schools would get an extra $15.2 million from the state next year under his education-reform proposal.

Editorial: Sweet set strong foundation, but YSU will face challenges (Youngstown Vindicator, April 12, 2009) There are challenges on the horizon that the presidential search committee must broach with the applicants to determine just how conversant they are with higher education in Ohio, the nation and the world.

Short sales on the rise (Cincinnati Enquirer, April 13, 2009) Real estate experts say they're seeing an unprecedented number of "short sales" - a complicated transaction that's accomplished when a bank or lender agrees to accept less than what's owed on a home loan.